Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Foolish Assumptions 2
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond the Book 3
Where to Go from Here 3
Part 1: Getting Started with Mixed Breeds 5
Chapter 1: Mixing It Up: Introducing the Mixed Breed 7
A Mutt by Any Other Name: Defining Mixed Breeds 8
A Tale of Two Dogs: How Mixed-Breed Dogs Come to Be 9
Even Toy Dogs Aren’t Toys 10
They Don’t Call ’Em Man’s Best Friend for Nothin’ 11
Chapter 2: Designer Dogs: Not Your Mother’s Mutt 13
The Pros and Cons of Designer Dogs 14
The pros 14
The cons 14
The Major “Labels” in the Designer-Dog World 15
Oodles of Poodles 15
A basket of Toys 20
Intelligent perceptions: Border Collie hybrids 25
Chapter 3: A Little of This, a Little of That: Deciding Which Mixed Breed is Right for You 27
Asking Yourself the Right Questions 27
Do you have enough time for a dog? 28
Do you have enough money for a dog? 28
Are you ready to give your heart to a dog? 29
Looking at the Different Breeds 29
On the hunt: The Sporting Group 29
Ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog: The Hound Group 30
Workin’ like a dog: The Working Group 31
Tenacious terriers: The Terrier Group 33
Big personalities in small packages: The Toy Group 34
All shapes and sizes: The Non-Sporting Group 35
Round ’em up: The Herding Group 36
Considering Age: Puppy or Adult? 37
Gender Bender: Male or Female? 39
Adding It Up: The Right Dog for You 39
Chapter 4: Choosing Your New Best Friend 41
Finding Your Very Own Mixed-Breed Dog 41
Breeders 42
Shelters 43
Rescue groups 43
Knowing Which Questions to Ask 44
Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make Me a Match: Temperament Testing 45
Be gentle: Testing for touch sensitivity 45
What’s that? Testing for movement and object sensitivity 47
Who’s the boss? Testing for dominance and submission 49
I’ll get that! Testing for possessiveness and retrieval ability 52
Follow the leader: Testing for social skills 53
Part 2: Living with Your Mixed-Breed Dog 55
Chapter 5: Getting Ready for Your Dog’s Arrival 57
Dog-Proofing Your House 57
Removing chewing hazards 58
Protecting your furniture 59
Pushing up daisies: Giving your dog a place to dig 60
Born to run: Making sure your dog can’t escape 61
Your Mixed-Breed Dog’s Bedroom 62
Crate or pen? Your dog’s first place to sleep 62
Thinking outside the box: Letting your dog sleep outside a crate or pen 63
Bedding 63
Giving Your Dog a Place to Eat 64
Stocking Up on Supplies 64
Collars and leashes 64
Dishes and bowls 65
Toys 66
Chapter 6: Bringing Home Your Mixed Breed 69
Giving Your Dog the Guided Tour 70
Walking her in and showing her around 70
Greeting the family 70
Meeting other pets 71
Taking her out to do her business 74
Showing the dog her sleeping area 75
Fighting Those First-Night Blues 76
Scheduling Time for Your New Dog 77
Exercise and playtime 77
Feeding time 78
Potty time 79
Chapter 7: Chasing the Chuckwagon: The Basics of Feeding 81
The Basics of Nutrition 82
Types of Dog Food 83
Commercial dog food 84
Homemade food 86
Raw diet 86
Don’t touch! Foods and plants that are poisonous to dogs 87
How Much to Feed 89
Feeding according to your dog’s age 90
Feeding according to your dog’s size 91
Special Dietary Needs 91
It’s My Treat: Giving Your Dog a Little Something Extra 92
Chapter 8: Grooming Your Mixed Breed 95
Why Grooming Matters: Inside and Out 96
Brushing Your Dog 96
Cleaning Your Dog’s Ears 98
Look, Ma — No Cavities! Brushing Your Canine’s Choppers 99
The Eyes Have It: Caring for Your Mixed Breed’s Eyes 100
Mani/Pedi Time: Clipping Your Dog’s Nails 101
Bathing Your Dog 104
Checking for Parasites 106
Preventing parasites 106
Curing parasites 107
The Daily Once-Over: Checking Your Dog for Problems 108
Chapter 9: Exercising Your Dog 111
Knowing How Much Exercise Your Dog Needs 112
Puppies 112
Adult dogs 113
Older dogs 115
Finding an Activity Your Dog Enjoys 116
Walking 116
Jogging and running 116
Biking 117
Fetch 117
Hiking 118
Swimming 119
Horse and hound 121
Part 3: Training Your Dog 123
Chapter 10: Housetraining 125
When You Gotta Go: Looking for Your Dog’s Warning Signs 126
Scheduling Potty Breaks 127
If you work away from home all day 128
If you work out of your house 129
If your schedule changes frequently 129
Crate-Training to Prevent Accidents 130
How the crate works 130
Introducing your dog to the crate 131
Teaching your dog to go in a specific area 133
Teaching your dog to get it done faster 134
Other Training Methods 135
Paper training 136
Using a litter pan 136
Watching for Success 136
Observing your dog 137
Giving freedom only when she earns it 137
Working on Some Advanced Housetraining Techniques 138
Training your dog to potty on command 139
You rang? Getting your dog to ring a bell when she has to go 139
Chapter 11: Hup, Two, Three, Four: Good Manners and Basic Training 141
Preparing for Training 141
Targeting: The first step in training 142
Using a marker: The second step in training 142
Buying the right training tools 143
Making your voice and body work for you 145
Training the Basic Commands 147
Come 147
Heel 148
Getting started: The basics of Heel 149
Handling a dog who pulls 152
Trying the Heel off-leash 153
Sit 154
Down 156
Stay 158
Time 159
Movement 160
Distance 162
Getting your dog to come from a Stay 162
Dealing with Distractions 165
Looking at the different levels of distraction 166
Introducing distractions to your dog 167
Helping your dog be reliable off-leash 168
Finding a Trainer 168
Chapter 12: Tackling Mixed-Breed Training Challenges 173
Unpacking the Mental Baggage: Helping a Dog
Who’s Been Abused or Neglected 174
Alone and Frightened: Separation Anxiety 174
Recognizing the symptoms 175
Knowing what to do about it 177
Severe anxiety: When to seek outside help 183
No More Mr Nice Guy: The Aggressive Dog 184
Recognizing the types of aggression 184
Knowing what to do about it 186
Jumping for Joy 187
Knowing why dogs jump 187
Keeping your dog’s feet on the ground 188
Curing the insistent jumper 189
Chewing Your Dog Out for Chewing 190
Understanding why dogs chew 190
Solving the problem 191
From Beggar to Chooser: Getting Your Dog to Stop Begging at the Table 195
Nipping and Mouthing 196
Understanding why dogs nip and mouth 196
Preventing the problem 196
Curing the problem 197
Digging to the Center of the Earth 197
Knowing why dogs dig 197
Giving your dog a place to dig 198
Part 4: Keeping Your Dog Healthy 201
Chapter 13: Finding and Working with a Vet 203
Choosing a Veterinarian 203
Spaying or Neutering Your Pet 206
Microchipping or Tattooing: Keeping Your Dog Safe 207
Keeping Up with Regular Healthcare 208
Regular checkups and yearly vaccinations 209
Baseline tests 210
Controlling parasites 210
Addressing Special Health Problems 211
Skin allergies 211
Food allergies 212
Appetite issues 212
Skeletal disorders 213
Chapter 14: First Aid: Dealing with Emergencies 215
Gathering Emergency Contact Information 215
Assembling Your Canine First-Aid Kit 217
First-Aid Basics 218
Allergies 218
Bloat 219
Broken bones or dislocations 219
Burns 220
Choking 220
Cuts 220
Diarrhea 220
Heat stroke 221
Hypothermia 221
Insect bites 222
Poisoning 222
Puncture wounds 222
Run-ins with wild animals 223
Seizures 223
Shallow wounds 224
Shock 224
Snake bites 224
Vomiting 224
If You Lose Your Dog 225
Before your dog is lost: Getting proper identification 225
What to do when your dog is lost 226
Chapter 15: The Special Needs of Senior Dogs 227
How Old is Old: Knowing When Your Dog Has Earned Senior Status 227
The Early-Bird Special: Feeding Your Senior Dog 229
Use It or Lose It: Exercising Your Senior Dog 230
Social time with other dogs 230
Walks with you 231
Identifying Health Problems Common to Seniors 231
Hearing loss 231
Blindness 232
Arthritis 232
Digestive disorders 233
Cancer 233
Dementia 233
Depression 234
Recognizing Behavior Problems That Sometimes Come with Age 235
Saying Goodbye 236
Part 5: Having Fun with Your Dog 239
Chapter 16: Not Just for Purebreds: Showing Off with Your Mixed Breed 241
Participating in a Mixed-Breed Dog Club 241
Competing in obedience matches and dog shows 242
Competing in agility 244
Competing in Rally 245
Media Hound: Getting Your Dog on Camera 246
Knowing what animal agents look for 247
Preparing for work 247
What to expect when your dog performs in front of the camera 248
Chapter 17: Traveling with Charley 249
Deciding Whether to Bring Your Dog with You 250
Finding Pet-Friendly Places to Stay 251
Packing for Your Trip 251
Traveling by Car 253
Flying with Your Dog 254
What to do before you leave 254
Caring for your dog before and after the flight 256
Leaving Your Dog Behind 256
Finding an in-home sitter 256
Knowing what to look for in a kennel 257
Part 6: The Part of Tens 259
Chapter 18: Ten Reasons to Spay or Neuter Your Dog 261
It Doesn’t Cost Much — and It May Be Free! 262
Breeding is Time-Consuming and Expensive 262
You Reduce Your Dog’s Risk of Cancer 263
You Help Control the Number of Unwanted Dogs in the World 264
Your Dog Won’t Be as Likely to Stray from Home 264
Your Dog Will Be on Her Best Behavior 265
Your Dog Will Be Easier to Housetrain 265
Reproduction Can Be Risky 265
Your Dog Will Be a Better Watchdog 266
Your Dog Isn’t You 266
Chapter 19: Ten (or So) Fun Activities You and Your Mixed Breed Can Enjoy Together 267
Competing with Your Dog at American Kennel Club Events 268
Participating in United Kennel Club Events 268
Training Your Dog to Dive 268
Joining the Fun at the American Treibball Association 269
Camping and Hiking: Finding Fun Outdoor Activities 270
Helping Your Dog Become a Good Citizen 270
Help Your Dog Help Other People 271
Dancing with Your Mixed Breed 272
Flying High with Flyball 272
Index 273
